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Amazon Kindle Amazon Kindle is a software and hardware platform developed by Amazon.com (subsidiary Lab126) for the rendering and displaying of e-books and other digital media.[1] Three hardware devices, known as "Kindle," "Kindle 2," and "Kindle DX" support this platform. Kindle software applications exist for Windows, iPhone OS, BlackBerry and Mac OS X. Amazon's first hardware device, the Kindle First Generation, was only released in the United States on November 19, 2007. The Kindle hardware device uses an E Ink brand electronic paper display that features 16 shades of gray. It downloads content over Amazon's Whispernet using the Sprint EVDO in the USA. Newer Kindle 2 devices use AT&T's network and its roaming partners that provides international wireless access.[2] The Kindle hardware device is used without a computer connection, and Amazon Whispernet is accessible without any monthly fee or wireless subscription.[3] All Kindle models provide free access to the Internet in the U.S. over cellular networks. On March 3, 2009, Amazon.com launched an application called Kindle for iPhone in the iTunes App Store, allowing iPhone and iPod Touch owners to read Kindle content on those devices. Through a technology called "Whispersync," customers can connect reading progress, bookmarks and other information across Kindle hardware devices and other mobile devices.[4][5] Amazon announced the Kindle DX on May 6, 2009. This device has a larger screen than its predecessors and supports simple PDF files. It also is the thinnest Kindle to date and offers an accelerometer, which enables the user to seamlessly rotate pages between landscape and portrait orientations when the Kindle DX is turned on its side.[6] It is marketed as more suitable for displaying newspaper and textbook content.[7] Amazon released the Kindle for PC free of charge, allowing users to read Kindle books on a Windows PC.[8] Amazon also released a version for the Macintosh.[9] Contents [hide] * 1 History o 1.1 Original Kindle o 1.2 Kindle 2 o 1.3 Kindle 2 international version o 1.4 Kindle DX o 1.5 Kindle DX International o 1.6 Kindle sales * 2 Downloadable content o 2.1 Overview o 2.2 File formats o 2.3 User-created annotations o 2.4 Kindle Development Kit (KDK) * 3 Business model o 3.1 Digital Text Platform o 3.2 Remote content removal * 4 See also * 5 References * 6 External links [edit] History [edit] Original Kindle The Kindle 1 Amazon released the Kindle First Generation on November 19, 2007, and it sold out in five and a half hours.[10] The device remained out of stock for five months until late April 2008.[11] The Kindle First Generation device features a 6 inch (diagonal) 4-level grayscale display and retailed for US$399. Amazon subsequently lowered the price to $359. The 250MB of internal memory in the Amazon Kindle First Generation can hold approximately 200 non-illustrated titles, and the memory is expandable with an SD memory card.[12] This model is no longer available as a new item, because the Kindle 2 replaced the original version. On the Kindle First Generation, the Whispernet only works in the United States, but content can be downloaded from Amazon over the Internet. Amazon did not sell the Kindle First Generation outside the United States.[12] Plans for a launch in the UK and other European countries were delayed by problems with signing up suitable wireless network operators.[13] Another hardware decision which has been questioned is the non-availability of WiFi functionality on the Kindle. Instead, the device relies on Sprint's EVDO, AT&T's 3G network, or 1xRTT data services for Internet access,[14] which, critics argue, does provide a large amount of geographical coverage, but also drives the price of the device up considerably.[15] [edit] Kindle 2 On February 9, 2009, Amazon announced the Kindle 2. It became available for purchase on February 23, 2009. The Kindle 2 features a 16-level grayscale display, improved battery life, 20 percent faster page-refreshing, a text-to-speech option to read the text aloud,[16] and overall thickness reduction from 0.8 to 0.36 inches (9.1mm).[17] The Kindle 2 has 2GB of internal memory of which 1.4GB is user-accessible. Amazon estimates that the Kindle 2 will hold about 1500 non-illustrated books. Unlike the Kindle First Generation, Kindle 2 does not have a slot for SD memory cards.[16][18] To promote the new Kindle, author Stephen King made UR, his then-new novella, available exclusively through the Kindle Store.[19] On October 22, 2009, Amazon stopped selling the original Kindle 2 in favor of the international version it had introduced earlier in the month. According to an early review by iFixIt, the Kindle 2 features a Freescale 532MHz, ARM-11 90 nm processor, 32MB main memory, 2GB moviNAND flash storage and a 3.7V 1530mAh lithium polymer battery.[20] On November 24, 2009, Amazon released a firmware update for the Kindle 2 that it said increases battery life by 85% and introduces native PDF support.[21] There is concern about the specific hardware choices made for the device.[22] For example, the Kindle 2 lacks the memory expansion slot which was part of the original Kindle, which not only affects the potential number of e-books which can be stored on the device, but also removes potential capabilities to import e-books onto the device via memory card. There are concerns that the Kindle 2's contrast in small text is poor compared to the original Kindle.[23] Side-by-side comparisons show slight differences attributable to factors such as slightly darker background and different fonts on the two devices.[24] Some Kindle 2 users have reverted back to the original Kindle due to this issue.[25] The Kindle 2 was criticized for its high original retail price of US$359, compared to the $185.49 it allegedly costs to manufacture.[26] On July 8, 2009, Amazon reduced the price of the Kindle 2 to $299. On October 7, 2009, Amazon reduced the price of the Kindle 2 farther to $259.[27] [edit] Kindle 2 international version On October 7, 2009, Amazon announced an international version of the Kindle 2 that works in over 100 countries. It became available October 19, 2009. The international Kindle 2 is physically very similar to the U.S.-only model although it uses a different mobile network standard. The original Kindle 2 uses the Sprint network while the international version uses AT&T's U.S. mobile network and roams on 3G, EDGE and GPRS on GSM networks in other countries.[28] On October 22, Amazon lowered the price on the international version to $259 from $279 and ceased selling new versions of the U.S.-only model. The Kindle International Wireless version has restricted access to the experimental web browser. In most countries, Amazon restricts Kindle owners from accessing any web content apart from Amazon's e-book store (to view and purchase books and magazine subscriptions) and the English Wikipedia.[29] Similar to an iPod/iPhone, the Kindle 2 does not have a removable battery. If the battery fails on a Kindle 2, the whole unit must be sent to Amazon for repair.[30] [edit] Kindle DX Amazon Kindle DX Kindle DX Front.jpg The Kindle DX Manufacturer Foxconn for Amazon.com Type e-book reader Release date June 10, 2009 Operating system Linux-2.6.22.19 Power Lithium polymer, 3.7 V, 1530 mAhr, 5.66 Wh, P/N 170-1012-00[31] CPU Freescale 532 MHz i.MX31L, ARM-11 Storage capacity 4 GB internal flash memory (82.5% user-accessible) Display 9.7 in diagonal (5.4" (137 mm) x 7.9" (201 mm)), 824 × 1200 pixels or 0.99 megapixels, 150 ppi, 16-level grayscale electronic paper Input USB 2.0 port (micro-B connector), 3.5 mm stereo headphone jack, built-in stereo speakers, AC power adapter jack Connectivity Amazon Whispernet (Sprint)using EVDO/CDMA AnyDATA wireless modem E727NV WN2, with fallback to 1xRTT[31] Dimensions 10.4 × 7.2 × 0.38 in (264 × 183 × 9.7 mm) Weight 18.9 oz (540 g) On May 6, 2009, Amazon announced the Kindle DX,[32] which retails for $489.[33] It is the first Kindle model with an accelerometer, automatically rotating pages between landscape and portrait orientations if the device is turned on its side, unless automatic rotation is disabled by the user. It is slightly over 1?3 inch (about 8.5 mm) thick, has a 4 GB (3.3 GB user-accessible) storage capacity, holding approximately 3500 non-illustrated e-books, a 9.7 inch (24.6 cm) display with 1200 x 824 pixel resolution, and a battery life of up to one week while using wireless or two weeks offline. The DX adds support for PDF files natively, built-in stereo speakers and 1xRTT wireless technology as a fallback option for when EVDO connectivity is not available. Like the Kindle 2, it does not have an SD memory card slot. The model was released on June 10, 2009.[34] [edit] Kindle DX International Since January 19, 2010, the Kindle DX International ships in 100 countries.[35] [edit] Kindle sales The exact sales numbers were not released by the company, but Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, stated in a shareholders' meeting that "millions of people now own Kindles".[36] Also, according to some anonymous inside sources over three million Kindles have been sold as of December 2009.[37] According to some other estimates as of Q4-2009 there were about 1.5 million devices sold.[38] [edit] Downloadable content [edit] Overview Users can download content from Amazon and some other content providers in the proprietary Kindle format (AZW) or load content in various formats from a computer by simply emailing DOC, TXT and PDF files to their own Kindle email address. Kindle Terms of Use forbid transferring Amazon e-books to another user or a different type of device.[39] Users can select reading material using the Kindle itself or through a computer at the Amazon Kindle store and can download content through the Kindle Store, which upon the initial launch of the Kindle had more than 88,000 digital titles available for download. This number continued steadily increasing to more than 275,000 by late 2008. As of April 19, 2010, there were more than 500,000 books available for download.[40] In late 2007, new releases and New York Times best sellers were being offered for approximately US$10, with first chapters of many books offered as free samples. Many titles, including some classics, are offered free of charge or at a low price, which has been stated to relate to the cost of adapting the book to the Kindle format[citation needed]. Magazines, newspapers and blogs via RSS are provided by Amazon per a monthly subscription fee or a free trial period. Newspaper subscriptions cost from US$5.99 to $14.99 per month; magazines charge between $1.25 and $10.99 per month, and blogs charge from $0.99 to $1.99 per month.[41] Amazon e-book sales overtook print for the first time on Christmas Day of 2009.[42] In addition to the Kindle store, paid content for the Kindle can be purchased from various independent sources such as Fictionwise, Mobipocket and Webscriptions. Public Domain titles are also obtainable for the Kindle via content providers such as Project Gutenberg and World Public Library. The device is sold with electronic editions of its owner's manual and the New Oxford American Dictionary. Users are able to purchase different dictionaries from the Kindle store as specified in the included manual.[43][44] The Kindle also contains several free experimental features including a basic web browser.[45] Users can also play music from MP3 files in the background in the order they were added to the Kindle. Operating system updates are designed to be received wirelessly and installed automatically during a period in sleep mode in which wireless is turned on.[46] [edit] File formats The original Kindle supported only unprotected Mobipocket books (MOBI, PRC), plain text files (TXT), topaz format books (.tpz) and Amazon's proprietary DRM-restricted format (AZW). Version 2.3 firmware upgrade for Kindle 2 (U.S. and International) added native Portable Document Format (PDF) support.[21] Earlier versions did not fully support PDF, but Amazon provided "experimental" conversion to the native AZW format,[47] with the caveat that not all PDFs may format correctly.[48] It does not support the EPUB ebook standard. Amazon offers an email-based service that will convert JPEG, GIF, PNG and BMP graphics to AZW.[49] Amazon will also convert HTML pages and Microsoft Word (DOC) documents through the same email-based mechanism, which will send a Kindle-formatted file to the device directly for $0.15 per MB or to a personal e-mail account for free. These services can be accessed by sending emails to |